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Education & Skills Development News

Covid-19 pandemic underscores the need for inclusive growth

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 8th May 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a crisis worldwide, bringing into sharp focus and exacerbating the inequalities present in countries; however, it also presents opportunities to create more inclusive growth as the world moves forward. During a webcast hosted by professional services firm Deloitte... →

Mchunu urges public servants to be ambassadors of govt as they return to work

By: Sane Dhlamini 8th May 2020 For government to facilitate the unlocking of the economy more public servants need to return to work and while they do so, they should remain ambassadors for government as the country fight the coronavirus. Minister for Public Service and Administration Senzo Mchunu on Friday unpacked his... →

Minister for Public Service and Administration Senzo Mchunu

Business adaptation key to post-Covid-19 success − Kearney

By: Donna Slater 8th May 2020 As Covid-19 restrictions and fear put a strain on businesses and the economy, management consulting firm Kearney Africa MD Theo Sibiya believes the survival of many companies is going to depend on their capacity to build resilience in order to remain sustainable. In its sixth week of lockdown,... →

TERS payments reach R9.47bn

By: Donna Slater 8th May 2020 The Department of Employment and Labour reports that, as at May 8, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), had disbursed about R9.47-billion through the Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS), benefitting 1.94-million workers. Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi says... →

Mining industry faces a new reality amid and beyond Covid-19

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th May 2020 The global mining industry is facing a new reality amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with measures to curb the spread of the virus impacting on economies, mining operations and their supply chains, manufacturing industries, the general public and, consequently, the demand for minerals and metals. As... →

Theranostics can play a role in nuclear medicine

By: Cameron Mackay 8th May 2020 The development and use of theranostics with nuclear medicine provides ample opportunity for nuclear medicine and molecular imaging to become more familiar to the public, and can help grow the local nuclear medicine industry, says South African Society of Nuclear Medicine president Moshe... →

SAFARI-1 FACILITY The facility conducts clinical trials with, and produces, radiopharmaceuticals or radioisotopes, such as key medical radioisotopes like molybdenum-99 and iodine-131

Nxesi urges employers to pay staff UIF funds

By: Donna Slater 7th May 2020 Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has urged employers to disburse Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) funds paid to them by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). This comes after the Minister received numerous complaints from workers who alleged that their... →

SA statistics agency to collect labour data telephonically due to Covid-19

By: African News Agency 7th May 2020 Statistics South Africa said on Thursday it would collect second quarter data for its labour force survey over the phone, due to restrictions on face-to-face collections imposed by a nationwide lockdown to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement, statistician-general Risenga Maluleke said... →

Small business survey points to major relief only being likely at lockdown Level 2 or 1

By: Donna Slater 6th May 2020 Findings from the Covid-19 National Small Business Survey, which was conducted after the Level 5 lockdown was eased to Level 4, point to continued stress experienced by small businesses coming out of Level 5 of the lockdown. The survey, which was released by the National Small Business Chamber... →

3D printed glove remover improves hygiene in hospitals

By: Simone Liedtke 6th May 2020 Zurich-based creative agency Atoll has developed a nonprofit three-dimensional (3D) printed glove remover to assist with improving hygiene practices in hospitals. The glove remover comprises a piece of curved plastic that is placed over a waste bin and, thanks to a modular fastening system, it... →

New index ranks physical-interaction aspect of Covid-19 transmission risk across occupations

By: Terence Creamer 5th May 2020 A new index has been created to provide an empirical basis for ranking the physical-interaction dimension of the Covid-19 transmission risk for various occupations in South Africa – a tool that could help guide policymakers in evaluating which sectors place workers at a higher or lower risk of... →

Rolls-Royce freely releases digital training courses to the world

By: Rebecca Campbell 4th May 2020 UK-based leading industrial technology company Rolls-Royce has announced that it is granting free access to its world-class digital skills training programme. This is to assist businesses and people all over the world to get ready for the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, a recovery that could... →

Incentives needed to aid local energy tech

By: Mamaili Mamaila 1st May 2020 While there is an increased focus on local content across several South African industries, government could do more in terms of incentivising local manufacturing, says energy solutions company i-G3n co-founder and director Sydney Phakathi. →

NO FUSS WHATSOEVER i-G3n offers standard solutions that it can also tailor to suit the specific needs of every client

Momentum warns against ending life insurance, tapping into retirement savings during Covid-19 crisis

By: Donna Slater 30th April 2020 The impact on people’s lives and finances from the spread of Covid-19 is putting strain on conventional long-term savings and life insurance policies, with many having been laid off, paid only a portion of their usual salaries or temporarily being absent from work without pay. This is resulting... →

Blessing Utete

Patel offers insight into Level 4 balancing act as South Africans smart over irrational restrictions

By: Terence Creamer 30th April 2020 Amid growing opposition to some of the restrictions to be imposed as part of South Africa’s Level 4 Covid-19 lockdown, which begins on May 1, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel has sought to outline the philosophy underpinning the country’s evolving approach to working during... →

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel on the philosophy behind South Africa’s Level 4 lockdown, which begins on May 1, and the implications for manufacturing and construction. Recorded:29.04.2020. Source: GCIS. Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

During pandemic, ASME seeking to fill engineering skills gap with virtual training courses

By: Rebecca Campbell 30th April 2020 In a response to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is offering virtual training solutions that engineers can access from their homes. These training courses are flexible, applicable and are now available at significantly reduced prices. ASME... →

Productivity SA proposes economic recovery plan

By: Donna Slater 29th April 2020 Employment growth and productivity promotion agency Productivity SA has drawn up a document to potentially address economic shortcomings brought about by the spread of Covid-19 and economic disruptions resulting from the national lockdown. Productivity SA chairperson Professor Mthunzi Mdwaba... →

Covid-19 underscores need for multidisciplinary approach to diseases in Africa

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 29th April 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic that has swept the globe has become an additional burden in Africa’s list of epidemics and noncommunicable diseases, highlighting the continent’s vulnerability to disease, and thereby reinforcing the need to focus on a multidisciplinary approach when countering outbreaks of... →

UIF tweaks online platform to be more informative

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th April 2020 The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has tweaked its systems to ensure that more pertinent information is available on its online platform. Employers, employees and organised labour are now able to see which companies have been paid. →

TERS benefit set to be extended to staff of non-UIF compliant firms

By: Terence Creamer 28th April 2020 The South African government is willing to consider extending the Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS) to employees of firms that are currently not fully compliant with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has stressed, however, that the... →

UFS has trained 500 hospital staff on the use of PPE since lockdown started

By: Schalk Burger 28th April 2020 The University of the Free State (UFS) says its Department of Anaesthesiology, in collaboration with the Clinical Simulation and Skills Unit, has trained 500 hospital staff members to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic since the start of lockdown measures in South Africa. The unit assisted doctors,... →

BLSA suggests rethink of how to ease business into staged lockdown

By: Donna Slater 28th April 2020 Getting some previously shut sectors back into safe production is key to getting the economy moving again, as has been done with the phased easing of the lockdown, suggests business promotion agency Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso. However, she fears that it will prove... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Busi Mavuso

Govt urged to plan ‘for the long haul’ post-Covid-19

By: Simone Liedtke 24th April 2020 Without an effective reconstruction of South Africa’s growth path and distribution, the country will face “years of debt distress”, University of Witwatersrand (Wits) adjunct professor Michael Sachs says. In a webinar on April 24, hosted by the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE), the... →

Gold likely to rise as global Covid-19 restrictions start to ease

By: Donna Slater 24th April 2020 Financial services company INTL FCStone Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia market analysis head Rhona O’Connell says the majority of precious metals have moved into uncertain territory, with future trends difficult to predict as Covid-19 disrupts international buying and selling markets.... →

Covid-19 to forever change the face of offices, says Business Exchange

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 24th April 2020 Covid-19 and the South African lockdown have forced companies across the board to embrace strategies that allow their employees to continue working, but from home. And while this has been a relief for many, who no longer have to face the daily traffic grind and can work in their pyjamas if they... →

Association improves technicians training

By: Cameron Mackay 24th April 2020 The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Safety Association of South Africa has been investing in improving its LPG technicians’ installation training through collaboration with the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) as one of its mandates for the LPG sector. “This will enable us to ensure that... →

NIRVAN BRIJLAL The industry is well regulated, with many safety standards in place

Solidarity Fund raises R2.6bn

By: Sane Dhlamini 23rd April 2020 Government’s pro bono organisation, the Solidarity Fund on Thursday expressed gratitude to all those who have so far donated to the fund, which has received R2.6-billion in pledges to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The mandate of fund is to mobilise and coordinate financial and... →

Labour dept making good progress on Covid-19 TERS payments

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 23rd April 2020 The Department of Employment and Labour has ramped up its payment of Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS), as well as normal benefits, to ensure workers are not inconvenienced during the lockdown. On April 22, the Unemployment Insurance Fund disbursed R92-million, taking the... →

UCT sets up dedicated Covid-19 emergency fund

By: Marleny Arnoldi 22nd April 2020 The University of Cape Town (UCT) has set up a Coronavirus Disease 2019 emergency fund to assist in the fight against the virus and its impact on the UCT community. The university has urged members of the UCT community to rally behind the fight against the pandemic by making contributions to... →

Chief executives report degradation in economic outlooks as Covid-19 crisis deepens

By: Donna Slater 22nd April 2020 Nonprofit international leadership community organisation YPO’s latest international Covid-19 survey has found that 84% of the 3 534 respondents are more negative about the outlook for the months ahead than they were on March 1. YPO conducted its first Covid-19 survey from March 10 to 13,... →

SAPS members that violate the regulations undermine government’s efforts - General Rabie

By: Sane Dhlamini 21st April 2020 South African Police Service (SAPS) Major General Leon Rabie on Tuesday said the abuse of power or involvement in any illegal activities by the members of his organisation during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic not only brings SAPS into disrepute but grossly undermines government’s efforts to... →

Nxesi seeks additional processing capacity as first R1.1bn in TERS claims are paid

By: Terence Creamer 21st April 2020 Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi reports that his department is in discussion with other public entities and the private sector to build additional capacity in order to fast-track the processing of the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme applications and the payment of benefits.... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi

Lockdown has revealed sad fault line in society – Ramaphosa

By: Sane Dhlamini 20th April 2020 As South Africa battles the spread of the novel coronavirus, President Cyril Ramaphosa has pointed out that the national lockdown has revealed a “very sad fault line” in society. In his weekly message to the country, the President said while the lockdown was instituted to save lives, it has also... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Universities develop public Covid-19 data-sharing repository, dashboard

By: Donna Slater 17th April 2020 A collaborative effort between the University of the Free State’s (UFS’s) Centre for Teaching and Learning and the University of Pretoria’s Data Science for Social Impact research group led to the development of a framework to share Covid-19 data with the public in the form of a data repository... →

Children’s author, publisher make Covid-19-awareness book available for free

By: Donna Slater 17th April 2020 As part of the response to fight the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business senior lecturer Athol Williams and his artist wife Taryn Lock have produced the seventh book in their acclaimed Oaky children’s picture books series with a focus... →

Nxesi’s new directive further streamlines UIF Covid-19 relief scheme

By: Terence Creamer 17th April 2020 Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has made further changes to the directives governing the Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, following ongoing engagements with business and labour on the scheme at the National Economic Development and Labour... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi

Restrictions eased on various industries as South Africa enters extended lockdown phase

By: Terence Creamer 16th April 2020 The South African government announced the easing of lockdown restrictions for parts of the logistics, retail, services, mining and energy sectors on April 16, as the country entered the second phase of what was initially meant to be a 21-day nationwide lockdown in response to the Covid-19... →

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

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